Poecilotriccus


Poecilotriccus is a genus of small flycatchers in the family Tyrannidae. Except for the recently described Johnson's tody-flycatcher, all have, at one point or another, been included in the genus Todirostrum. Some species have been known as tody-tyrants instead of tody-flycatchers. Most species are found in South America, but a single species, the slate-headed tody-flycatcher, is also found in Central America. The black-chested tyrant may also belong in this genus, but most place it in the monotypic genus Taeniotriccus.

Taxonomy

The genus Poecilotriccus was introduced in 1884 by the German ornithologist Hans von Berlepsch to accommodate a single new species, Poecilotriccus lenzi. This is now considered to be a junior synonym of Todirhamphus ruficeps Kaup, 1852, the rufous-crowned tody-flycatcher and is the type species. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek poikilos meaning "pied" or "spotted" with -ouros meaning "-tailed".

Species

The genus contains 12 species:
ImageCommon nameScientific nameDistribution
Rufous-crowned tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus ruficepsVenezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and far northern Peru
Lulu's tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus luluaenorthern Peru
White-cheeked tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus albifaciessouth-eastern Peru
Black-and-white tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus capitalissouthern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and south-western Brazil
Buff-cheeked tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus senexBrazil
Ruddy tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus russatusBrazil, Guyana, and Venezuela
Ochre-faced tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus plumbeicepsArgentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.
Smoky-fronted tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus fumifronsBrazil, French Guiana, and Suriname
Rusty-fronted tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus latirostrisBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
Slaty-headed tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus sylviaBelize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela
Golden-winged tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus calopterusColombia, Ecuador, and Peru
Black-backed tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus pulchellusPeru